Truck body for delivering ice cream



April 3, 1928. 1,664,438

J. W. VETTER TRUCK BODY FOR DELIVERING ICE CREAM Filed April 23, 1927 71 U a I INVENTOR. 12 12 12 4204 w, 4224 10, BY dz 4 ATTO NEYS.

Patented Apr. 3, 1928.

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JULIUS W. VETTER, OF MILWAUKEE, /VISUONSIN.

TRUCK BODY FOR DELIVERING ICE CHCEl-allllf.

Application filed April 23, 1927.

This invention. relates to improvements in truck bodies for delivering ice cream and other refrigerated i'naterials with quantities of ice to enable the customer to maintain refrigeration pending sale or use.

It is customary to deliver to each customer the desired number of containers with their refrigerated. contents and adesired quantity of ice for keeping the contents in a refrigerated state, the customer returning empty containers. These empty containers are a source of annoyance and trouble to the delivery man where trucks of the ordinary type are used for the reason that if placed in the compartment with the filled containers, confusion results and also delay due to the necessity of moving the empty containers in order to reach the filled containers in the lower portion of the compartment. It the empty containers are placed in the ice compartment they tend to slide toward the opening through which the ice is being removed and thus interfere with ice delivery.

The object of this invention is to provide a truck box or body having a movable wall which may be adjusted progressively across the ice compartment as the ice is removed and thereby form a corresponding third compartment to receive the empty containers that are to be returned to the factory for refilling. While my invention is particularly adapted for ice cream truck bodies it is, of course, adapted for a great variety of other uses.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a truckhox or body constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same drawn to line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the forward portion of the body showing the ice compartment thereof and the adjustable wall for expandino the third compartment in proportion to the reduction in the quantity of ice and the number of empty containers to be handled.

Like parts are identified bv the same characters throughout theseveral views.

The truck body consists of a rectangular box 1 sub-divided by a cross partition 2 into two compartments. The end portion 3 of the box serves as a compartment for filled containers such as the container 4: illustrated in full in that portion of the compartment, the side wall of which is broken away in Serial No. 185,963.

Fig.1. The other end portion of the box is adapted to be largely filled with ice from the partition '2 to the end wall thereof, and this ice may be shovelled out in the quantities required by each customer through a side opening 6 which will be normally closed by a door or slide 7 but which will be opened to permit of ice delivery.

lVithin this portion of the box ahorizontal partition member 10 extends inwardly from the wall having the opening 6, and its inner margin is provided with a hinged wall member 11, the hinges 12 of which connect with the partition member 10 and allow the wall member ll to be swung upwardly to the position in which it is illustrated in Figure 2. Another wall member 13 is hinged to the upper margin of the wall 11 by hinges it which are arranged to allow the member 13 to swing downwardly to or below ahorizontal position, or to swing upwardly to a position of extension of the wall. member 11. These walls 10 and ll ce-operate with the side wall 13 of the box, or partition 2, and the front wall. 14 to form a third compartment 15 of a desired size or capacity within which to store acertain number of empty containers preparatory to an enlargement in the capacityol this chamber 15 when a withdrawal of ice has occurred in suiiicient quantity to permit a readjustment oi? the wall l1. It will be understood that the ice to be de livered will have been broken up at the fac tory into comparatively small fragments so that it can be readily shovelled out through the opening 6. Removal of ice through the opening 6 allows the fragments to fall. from the space immediately back of the wall 11, whereupon said wall will he swung by gravity across the ice chamber to an extent permitted by the ice remaining in the chamber, the wall 11 finally reaching the position which is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.,

The wall 13 willv initially rest upon the contents of the ice chamber 1'? and as the wall 11 swings inwardly over the ice in this chamber, the wall 13 will be automatically swung'toward the plane occupied by the wall 11 due to the support which the wall 13 will find upon such quantities of ice as remain. Therefore, the wall 13 will eventually assume the dotted line position indicated in Figure 2.

By beveling the inner margin of the wall 10 as shown. at 18 in Fig; 2 and giving to the lower margin of the wall. 11 a counterlltl the capacity of the chamber provided for the filled containers in the portion 3 of the box. Theinitial size of the chamber 15 will of course depend upon the width of the floor or bottom 10 of such chamber, i. e. the distance of the inner margin ofthe floor from the wall 13. If desired this third chamber may, therefore, occupy very little space initially, and it will be understood, of: course, that by locating this floor 10 on the side of the box which is provided with the opening 6, and at a level above that of the opening 6, deliveries of ice will almost immediately begin to provide clearance back of the wall 11 to allow an enlargement of the chamber 15. The length of thebpening 6 will determine the facility with which the ice will drop away from behind the end portion of the wall 11. The delivery man may, if necessary, shovel. the ice from time to time toward the central portionof the compartment 17 from the ends adjacent to the wall 11. The necessity for doing this will of course depend largelyv on the length of the opening 6.

I claim:

1. A body for delivery trucks sub-divided into plurality of compartments one of which is providedwith a side opening and a door normally closing the same, in combination with a set of walls arranged to form a 7 third compartment above the space within said door-way, said walls having hinged connection with each. other, adapted to permit one of them to form floor for the third compartment, and anotherto form an up wardly projecting interior wall adapted to progressively swinginwardly in proportion to the withdrawal of material through said opening, thereby enlarging said third compartment. I

2. The combination of a truck body provided with a compartment for filled containers, an ice compartment having a side door-way, and a compartment for empty containers having a floor projecting intothe ice compartment above the door-way and provided with ahinged normally upwardly projecting wall adapted to progressively swing into the space occupied by the ice as the latter is withdrawn through said doorway.

3. The combination of a truck body provided with a compartment for filled con tainers, an ice compartment having a side door-way, and a compartment for empty containers having a floor projecting into the ice compartment above the door-way and provided with a hinged normally upwardly projecting wall adapted to progressively swing into the space occupied by the ice as the latter 1s wlthdrawn through said doorway,.sa1d upwardly pro ecting wall being also provided with a hinged extensionadapted to initially fold over the ice in the ice compartment and to progressively swing into position to serve as a floor for the progressively expanding compartment for empty containers in proportion to ice withdrawal through said door-way.

4. A. truck body having walls sub-dividing it into compartments and including a set of partition walls for one compartment adapted for progressive adjustment across portions of another compartment while con tinuously in place as partitioning walls and in proportion as withdrawals of the contents of said last mentioned compartment permit such movement.

5. A compartment truck body having a wall adapted to move progressively out wardly from a point adjacent to the side wall of one compartment to form continuously a partition subdividing such, compartment intotwo chambers of inversely varying capacity.

6. A compartment truck body having a compartment provided with an outlet in its lower portion and a wall adapted to move progressively outwardly from a point adjacent to the side wall of said compartment in space above said outlet to form continuous- .]y a. partition subdividing such compartment into two chambers of inversely vary ing capacity, said movable wall. being adapted to be supported by material in said compartment and adapted to move by gravity into the. space vacated by withdrawal of such material through the outlet.

7. A compartment truck body having a gravity actuated partition wall, adapted to subdivide a portion of the body into two storage chambers of inversely varying capacity, the position of said wall being determined by quantity and position of the material in. the chamber having a diminishing capacity.

' JULIUS W. VETTER. 

